Monday, February 4, 2013

Defining Marriage

Marriage—the state of being married;

relation between husband and wife;

married life; wedlock; matrimony

(Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1988)

This past week, the French parliament overwhelmingly passed
a motion to redefine marriage. The British parliament is to hold a vote on
Tuesday. Other countries already have a new definition on their books.

Ever since the first two people on earth, there’s been a
traditional meaning of the word marriage.

My purpose is not to change any nation—as if I could—or to
necessarily change anyone’s opinion. Each nation has the right to govern
itself, that right given by God. Each person can decide for himself what he
wants to believe about any subject.

My purpose is to delve into the Bible definition of
marriage, letting the Word of God speak for itself.

Consider these passages:

The marriage of Adam and Eve, the first people on earth, one
man and one woman, took place between Genesis 2:22-24. By verse 24, Eve was
called Adam’s wife. God brought Eve to
Adam (verse 22), and they became one flesh. God says, Therefore shall a man leave his father and
his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh (verse 24). (This teaching was obviously meant for the
generations to come, as it talks about a man leaving his father and mother.
Adam didn’t have a father or mother.)

Jesus Himself said,For this cause shall a man leave
father and mother,
and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain
shall be one flesh? (Matthew 19:5,
repeated in Mark 10:7)

Jesus also said, Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What
therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder (Matthew 19:6. This one
flesh teaching is repeated in Mark 10:8).

The Apostle Paul taught, For this cause shall a man leave his father
and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh (Ephesians 5:31).

The word married is found throughout the Bible, almost always referring to
one man and one woman. (There are several instances of one man with more than
one wife.)

The Bible talks about women being given in marriage. This custom started
with God giving Eve to Adam.

The ultimate marriage is one that
will take place in heaven, between Christ and His bride, the church.
(Revelation 19)

In the Bible, there seems to have
been some kind of wedding ceremonies, even from the earliest marriages. When
Laban tricked Jacob into working seven years for Rachel and then giving him
Leah, there was a feast and the father giving the bride to the groom.
Obviously, the bride wore some kind of a veil, because Jacob didn’t know he’d
been tricked until the next morning (Genesis 24:22-25).

From Adam and Eve on, there was a
formal marriage tradition. The Bible talks about wives and marrying from the
very beginning (Adam, Cain, etc.). The Bible distinguishes between real
marriage and concubines, lovers, prostitutes, and victims of rape. It’s clear
that marriage was always a contractual agreement between parties, and that the
bride’s father (or in some cases, brother) gave the bride to her husband.

Until relatively recently,
marriage was always understood to be the most foundational of institutions, the
beginning of a new family.

The first nation to change the
definition of marriage was the Netherlands, in 2000. At present, there are ten countries
that recognize marriage as being something different from the traditional
meaning.

Isn’t it interesting that, since
the sixth day of creation until the year 2000, no matter what the culture, marriage
was defined as one thing only? Even though people have made their own moral
choices throughout the thousands of years since Adam and Eve, marriage has always meant the union of
one man and one woman, for life.

Hi and welcome to In the Way! I explore many subjects, striving always to present them from a biblical viewpoint. Feel free to browse the tabs at the top for general categories. If you don't see what you're looking for, use the search button below. I'm a pastor's wife, mother of two, grandma, teacher, author, and blogger. I live in a quaint little village in the beautiful Basque region of northern Spain.

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Lou Ann is a young-thinking grandma with an infectious laugh. She rejoices in nature and other beautiful things--including people! She's an avid writer and practices several other artistic expressions, like singing when no one's listening, calligraphy, photography, and even "serious art." Lou Ann loves her Lord Jesus Christ, family, and her church.